Before they became Gods

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Are you a fan of Greek mythology, the Olympians or comedy? This year’s fall play is a 99 minute production, including your favorite characters from Greek mythology. Come watch the RB 2016 Fall Play at Riverside Brookfield High School on November 10th, 11th, and 12th! Here are what you need to know about your God and Goddesses at RBHS.

Cameron Winkler, aside from being vice president of the freshman student board, is also in the fall play.

“My grandparents got me into theater. They have been taking me to shows ever since I was little, and I always loved seeing the actors up on the stage,” said Winkler.

Winkler’s first show was when she was 10 years old. She joined the play because she knew about the great performances they do at RB, so she wanted to be part of it. Winkler is always inspired by her cast mates.

“They are so supportive of each other and they are very devoted to the show,” said Winkler.

Winkler is playing one of the narrators in the play. They interact with the characters in hilarious ways and remind them of the time-limitations throughout the duration of the play.

“The show so far has been an amazing experience for me. Everyone at rehearsals is always energetic and fun, and we have some amazing performers whom I have became friends with,” said Winkler.

Winkler has been doing theater for five years now. She has previously done shows at Hauser and a few performances at the Riverside Theater Guild. She is currently taking the acting and directing class here at RB and also is on the speech team.

“The funniest thing by far has been when the stage crew wheeled a giant wooden horse onto the stage and three or four of the cast members climbed out of it,” said Winkler.

Rosie Nolan is a senior at RB, and one of the narrators for the fall play. Nolan started acting when she was in the 3rd grade. She has done almost every school production since then.

“I’ve been into acting since I was little and I think it came from just loving to be the center of attention… haha!” said Nolan.

“My acting inspiration is Jennifer Damiano. She got on Broadway when she was 16 and that’s so cool to me. I’m behind schedule!” said Nolan.

Along with being in the play, Nolan has been keeping up with her school work. According to Nolan, the funniest thing that happens in the play is Keegan, one of the actors, finding out that the FAFSA is for everyone.

Senior Adam Nie will be playing Zeus, the god of sky and thunder. Nie joined the play this year because it is his passion.

“Loved acting and directing with my man Fuller. Been in shows at Hauser, RB, Riverside Theatre Guild, and Music Makers Theater of Western Springs,” said Nie.

Nie attends more than two rehearsal each week. According to Nie, the play is about love, family, freedom, war, beauty, tradition, communication, boundaries, revolution, mourning, modernism, America and purple velvet.

Aside from acting, Nie also has other passions for figurative sculpture, specifically goblins.

Nie’s favorite actor is Sir Patrick Stewart and his inspiration is Bill Clinton.

Maddie Hanrahan was a member of the speech and drama teams at her middle school. She never took any acting classes, but she has appeared in ten shows as an actress. Her first real show was in 6th grade.

“I saw my aunt in the touring cast of ‘Hairspray’ in the Chicago Theater District and ever since then, I’ve always wanted to act like she did. There’s something so intriguing about being a completely different person for everyone to see,” said Hanrahan. “I joined the play because there’s really no experience like it, you created these incredibly strong relationships with people during it and you get a new family that likes to play make believe with you on stage.”

Her inspiration is her castmates, they all perform so well and push her to be better and do her best during rehearsal.

“At rehearsal, when I’m talking to my castmates, Casey Whisler and Adam Nie, I’m not speaking with them. I’m talking to Aphrodite and Zeus and we get to improve and play around with our characters in certain situations and it’s very cool,” said Hanrahan.

Hanrahan tried to treat her work for the play – like memorizing her lines and character development – as homework. The play is something she take very seriously and it is a huge responsibility for her, like schoolwork. Her main passion in life is music and singing.

Panipak Bumrungkwaen Elona Selenica is playing Pandora and Galatea for the RBHS 2016 fall play.

Elona Selenica – Pandora / Galatea

Elona Selenica has always had a passion for acting but never got a chance to chase her dream until her junior year when she joined the speech team and got the opportunity to perform in front of an audience.

“I have been doing impressions of my favorite cartoon characters since I was around 11 years old. I always had an appreciation for the skill, but never pursued it until recently,” said Selenica.

Originally, Selenica had no intention of auditioning. However, she felt that because it is her senior year, she should try something new.

Selenica is in the acting and directing class and is a part of the RB speech team. She recently joined Shenanigans, which help her improved her confidence in acting.

“Everyone is supportive and energetic. We’re like one big family!” said Selenica. “All the wacky outfits are killer. They’ll make you laugh louder as more crazy characters come on stage!”

Selenica’s role model is her sister, Anisa. Anisa motivated Elona to audition and helped prepare her for her audition. Selenica’s favorite actor is Edward Norton.

During her free time, Selenica loves to edit videos. She also hopes to model good behavior for the younger group of actors.

“I’m in my freshman year and I wanted to meet new people, so I joined the play,” said Brown.

Keegan Brown has just started acting two months ago. It has been his high school experience so far.

Brown believes that he should keep acting in school plays to become a better performer. What’s impressive about Brown is that he has never had any acting experience. This is his first production and he is playing four different characters.

This could be a motivation for those beginner actors who wanted to try out for the school play but are afraid to because of their lack of acting experience. Brown joined the play to meet new people.

His inspiration is Thor, the god of thunder. Brown attends rehearsal almost every single day. He has too many funny memories of the play practices.

Other than acting, his other passions are photography and jazz.

Panipak Bumrungkwaen Casey Whisler is playing Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

Casey Whisler – Aphrodite

“When I was seven years old, I saw the national tour of the Broadway musical, Wicked. The moment I saw Dee Roscioli rise up into the air and belt out the snow stuffing, I knew that what I needed to do with my life,” said Whisler.

Casey Whisler has so many acting experiences in the past. She has been in theatrical productions for almost her whole life and she has been in many acting intensive classes. Some of the shows she has been in include Into the Woods, The Great Gatsby, The Addams Family, Bye Bye Birdie and many more. Casey is also a part of the Shenanigans at RB.

“All of these experiences have been the most amazing things that have helped me keep improving and doing what I love,” said Whisler.

Whisler also loves different forms of art. It’s what she is most passionate about.

“A big part of becoming a better actor and student is balancing your grades and your art. It’s a really difficult thing to do that I still haven’t mastered myself, but finding a way to maintain school work and still do what you love doing is important and it really does improve both your grades and performance,” said Whisler.

Whisler is on the speech team and this is her first year and it is really exciting for her.

“Everyone on the team works so hard and there are a lot of exciting opportunities and I can’t wait to be a part of it!” said Whisler.

Like the others, Casey rehearses almost every single day for the upcoming play.

“During rehearsal, we sometimes sit in a circle and talk about our characters. During our talks, we’ve discovered a number of affairs, and really weird stuff about our characters and that’s always hilarious,” said Whisler.

For this upcoming show, Whisler is playing the goddess of love and beauty.

“This show has been so incredibly fun. We have a ton of new cast members and a new director as well, so there are a lot of exciting opportunities with the theatre department this year. We have all grown incredibly close,” said Whisler.